Up-close image of a translucent krill.

Plankton

Forams are tiny single-celled organisms.

The World of Foraminifera

Take a closer look at a few members of this fascinating life form in this slideshow.

Read More

Featured Content

Are You An Educator?

At Smithsonian Ocean, we have lesson plans, activities, and resources to help you engage your students in the wonders of our oceans.
see all lesson plans see plankton lesson plans

Plankton Articles

Five Questions with Russ Hopcroft, Zooplankton Whiz

This copepod (Gaussia princeps) was collected deeper than 1000 meters in the Sargasso Sea by Census of Marine Zooplankton (CMarZ) researchers in April 2006.

What the Big Picture Can Teach Us About Tiny Ocean Creatures

A large, black instrument is hauled onto a ship's deck by researchers wearing hard hats and life vests.

On Biodiversity: Understanding its Meaning and Importance

Nine small invertebrates held on two fingers.

With Every Breath You Take, Thank the Ocean

Kelps are large, brown algae that grow along coasts around the world, especially in cooler regions.

15 Creatures in the Gulf of Mexico that are Stranger Than Fiction

A close-up image of deep-sea fish Argyropelecus aculeatus